Computer parental controls are essential for protecting children from the world of hazards that await them when they surf the Internet unprotected. While there’s no substitute for good parenting and constant supervision, software like Kids’ Shield can make a real difference, and the company provides a useful tutorial about parental controls online.

Kids’ Shield Emblem

Simply put, parental controls are tools that restrict how children use the Internet. This includes:

• filtering access to specific websites or categories of sites,
• blocking the sending out of content to prevent sharing sensitive or personal information,
• limiting the amount of time or the ways in which a computer is used, and
• monitoring what a child is doing while at the computer.

But for parents who trust their children, why is software like Kids’ Shield necessary? Even if you have an intelligent, sensible child, his or her thought processes may not be sophisticated enough to understand every danger. Even the most trustworthy child could fall victim to:

• an identity theft scheme like malware, phishing or impersonation
• a tempting online casino that seems just like a video game
• the rampant availability of prescription drugs without a prescription
• a friend’s request to download test answers
• religious cults
• life-threatening get-fit and weight loss concepts
• extreme ideas that are beyond the comprehension of a developing brain
• and so much more.

Kids’ Shield has created an online tutorial that helps parents guide their children safely through today’s Internet-enable lifestyle. The decision to use parental controls is a very personal one that involves intelligent and strong decision making on the part of the parent, but no parent should allow a child to surf the Internet without some level of protection.

How much monitoring and restriction of access is appropriate for your child given his interests and intelligence? And how much is out there that your child simply doesn’t need to know about yet? Use the online tutorial and the Kids’ Shield software to make smart decisions and then act on them.